Matar Paneer

Just like chole, matar paneer is another popular north Indian curry which is loved by everybody. I followed Vah chef’s recipe for this as all his north Indian curries come close to restaurant taste. This curry can be had with both chapathi/poori and fried rice. 

Do try! 

Ingredients

Paneer - cut into small cubes

Green peas 

Onion -  1 big

Tomatoes - 2 + 2 tbsp tomato paste(or use 4 tomatoes)

Cashews(7-8)

Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp(I used finely chopped ginger(2” piece) and finely chopped garlic(4))

Oil

Cumin 

Green chilies - 2 roughly chopped 

Coriander leaves

Kasoori methi - 1 tsp

Salt

Cream - optional

Masala powders 

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Cumin powder - 1 tsp

Chili powder - 1/2 tsp(according to taste)

Turmeric

Garam masala - 1/2 tsp(optional)

Whole garam masala

Cardamom - 1-2

Cloves - 3-4

Cinnamon - few pieces 

Bay leaf - 3-4 leaves

Mace - 1/2 to 1

Star anise - 1

Method

Prep peas - if using frozen, thaw. I prefer dry peas(see notes). If using dry peas - soak overnight and pressure cook for 3 whistles. 

Prep masala - In a pan add some oil. Add cashews. Sauté till light brown. Add roughly chopped onion + little salt. Sauté till brown. Add turmeric. Add ginger-garlic paste. Sauté till the raw smell is gone. Add roughly chopped tomatoes. Sauté till the tomatoes are soft and cooked. Let it cool. Blend this in a mixie to a smooth paste. 

Make curry - In a pan add oil, add whole garam masala. You can skip whole masala here and add garam masala powder later. Add jeera, after it sizzles add ground mixture. Add all the powders, salt to taste. Sauté. Add water, slit(or roughly chopped) green chilies. Let it boil for 15 min in medium heat. Add crushed kasoori methi. Boil for 10 more min in medium heat. Add cooked(or thawed) green peas and cubed paneer. Simmer for 5 min. In the end add some cream(I skipped this) + cilantro. Simmer for few more min. 

Recipe Source - “https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvjQ8HkuHME”

Notes -

• I used dry peas for the recipe as I find frozen peas very sweet. Soak them overnight and pressure cook for 2-3 whistles. 
• You can either use whole garam masala for the tadka, or use garam masala powder in the end, I used both. 
• Vah chef’s tip - too many cashews can spoil the taste of the gravy. 7-8 split cashews should be good enough.